What Is The Hottest Planet In The Solar System? What is the hottest planet in the solar system? Our Planets Home >> Articles >> What is the hottest planet in the solar system? We have eight planets in our solar system, each one circling the sun at a different distance. Earth is the third planet and we are in what is called the ‘Goldilocks Zone’. That means we aren’t too hot and we aren’t too cold; we are just right. This has allowed life to thrive on earth because the temperature is perfect enough to allow liquid water, which is believed to be one of the key elements to have life on a planet. You can’t tell the temperature of a planet by just looking at it, but you could make a guess at which one is the hottest. Mars is reddish color and some people might have guessed that Mars is the hottest planet in the solar system. But just because it’s red, doesn’t make it the hottest. Mercury is the planet that is closest to the sun and therefore gets more direct heat, but even it isn’t the hottest.

Venus is the second planet from the sun and has a temperature that is maintained at 462 degrees Celsius, no matter where you go on the planet. It is the hottest planet in the solar system. So what makes Venus hotter than Mercury? Mercury doesn’t have any atmosphere, and atmosphere can hold and trap heat. Any heat that Mercury receives from the sun is quickly lost back into space. Venus is very close to the actual size of earth and viewing it has been difficult due to a very thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide. This thick atmosphere makes the surface of Venus hotter because the heat doesn’t escape back into space. The atmosphere on Venus is so powerful that the pressure would be ninety-two times more than what you would experience standing on a beach at sea level. Venus has what is called a runaway greenhouse effect. It’s a never ending cycle of heat being trapped inside due to the rising carbon dioxide levels. This is what happens when an atmosphere absorbs too much carbon dioxide: the heat has nowhere to go. As the temperature rises it effects the entire planet, creeping deep into the depths of the core. Many scientists around the world were skeptical as to a possible mission to Venus.

Most thought that everything would burn up before the technology could send back any information. The Soviets sent a few missions to Venus, and the first few failed. Finally, in 1981, the Venera 13 mission made it through the hot layers of atmosphere and landed on the surface. It managed to keep from burning up for 127 minutes and sent color pictures back of the surface of Venus. Then, the transmissions stopped as the Venera 13 melted. In 1990, NASA’s Magellan probe was able to reach Venus and ‘map’ what the surface was like with radar. Venus has a lot of plains, highlands and lowlands. Since Venus was named after a Greek goddess, many of the areas of Venus that were discovered also have female names, but some do not. After they named the Maxwell Mountains after James Clerk Maxwell, the Scottish physicist, it was agreed that from that point on, all new areas of Venus would have female names. This missions to Venus have been great lessons in what happens when a planet has a high carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere and is being used today by scientists as they study our own planet in the concept of global warming and greenhouse gas effects.

Which is the Hottest Planet in our Solar system? It is not Mercury! » Science ABC Prev Article Next Article Spending a relaxing night on the beach with friends, a fire, and some roasted marshmallows is truly priceless. Sitting with friends around the bonfire and just talking about life, college, and everything in between. Essentially, you’re making memories for a lifetime. As night falls, you begin to feel the cold breeze, so you move closer to the bonfire in order to warm up; it’s simple science, right? The closer you are to the fire, the more heat you feel. As you sit beside the bonfire and look up into the bright night sky, you begin to think about things larger than yourself. In the warmth of the fire, you begin to think: what would it be like to live on other planets? Maybe your next thought is: which is the hottest planet? Well, like most other people, you probably think that Mercury is the hottest planet in our solar system, as it is the closest planet to the sun, meaning that it will get the most heat from the Sun, as compared to the other planets.

If you think that Mercury is the hottest planet, I’m sorry to tell you… but you’re wrong! In fact, Venus is the hottest planet! Mercury’s Atmosphere Mercury Mercury’s atmosphere (or should I say, its lack of atmosphere) is the reason why it is not as hot as Venus. Mercury has a very thin layer of atmosphere, so it is unable to hold and trap the heat on its surface. Any heat that Mercury receives from sun is quickly reflected back. However, Mercury is still hot as hell! Temperatures can reach up to 430° Celsius on the sunward side, while the temperature on the side facing away from the Sun can drop to well below -100°C . Talk about running hot and cold! Venus’ Atmosphere Venus Venus, on the other hand, has a very thick atmosphere. Its atmosphere is about 90 times denser than that of Earth. Venus’s atmosphere is mainly made up of carbon dioxide gas, which is a major greenhouse gas, which is why the planet suffers from what is known as a runaway greenhouse effect. As its atmosphere absorbs too much carbon dioxide, it does not allow the heat from the sun to escape back into space.

As the heat has no where to go, it creates an oven-like condition on the surface of Venus. The average temperature on Venus is a hellish 462°C. Unlike Mercury, the temperature on Venus always remains constant, with only slight variations. Therefore, the temperature is the same wherever you go on the planet, at the North Pole, at the equator, and at night… it is always the same 462°C. Venus: The Harshest Planet Venus and Earth are commonly known as twin planets, due to their similar size, mass, and distance from the Sun. However, Venus and Earth are completely different from each other in other ways, and if they are “twins”, then Venus is definitely the evil one of the pair. Venus has one of the harshest environment in the entire solar system . Because of this hostile environment, many scientists were skeptical about ever exploring Venus, as the spacecraft would be unable to survive the heat of the planet. Venus surface (artwork) From 1961 to 1984, the Soviets sent a series of spacecraft called Venera to Venus, but the first few missions were failures.

Finally, in 1981, Venera 13 was able to land on the surface of Venus and survived for 127 minutes. In that short period, it was able to send the first color picture of Venus’ surface before the spacecraft was burnt up by the hellish temperature of the planet. I think this makes it quite clear… life has absolutely no possibility of surviving on the hottest planet of our solar system. References What is the Hottest Planet in the Solar System? - Universe Today Universe Today What is the Hottest Planet in the Solar System? Article Updated: 18 Oct , 2016 Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the climate here is just right for life. Here in our Solar System, there are planets both hotter and colder than Earth. So… which one is the hottest? You might think it’s Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. Mercury orbits at a distance of only 58 million kilometers, travelling in a blast-furnace of scorching radiation. Its temperature can skyrocket to 700 Kelvin, or 426 degrees Celsius on the sunward side.

In the shadows, temperatures plunge down to 80 Kelvin, which is -173 degrees Celsius Mercury sure is hot, but Venus is hotter. Venus imaged by Magellan Image Credit: NASA/JPL Venus is much further from the Sun, orbiting at a distance of more than 108 million kilometers. Average temperature there is a hellish 735 Kelvin, or 462 degrees Celsius – hot enough to melt lead. Venus remains that same temperature no matter where you go on the planet. At the North Pole? 735 Kelvin. At night? 735 Kelvin. Daytime at the equator? You get the point. So, why is Venus so much hotter than Mercury, even though it’s further away from the Sun? It’s all about the atmosphere. Mercury is an airless world, not unlike the Moon. Venus, has a very thick atmosphere of CO2, which adds incredible pressure, and traps in the heat. Atmosphere of Venus. Credit: ESA Consider our own planet. When you stand at sea level on Earth, you’re experiencing one atmosphere of pressure.

But if you could stand on the surface of Venus – and trust me, you don’t want to – you’d experience ninety-two times as much atmospheric pressure. This is the same kind of pressure as being a kilometer underneath the surface of the ocean. Venus also shows us what happens when carbon dioxide levels just keep on rising. Radiation from the Sun is absorbed by the planet, and the infrared heat emitted is trapped by the carbon dioxide, which creates a runaway greenhouse effect. You might think a planet this hot with such extreme temperature and pressure, would be impossible to explore. And if you did, you’d be wrong. The Soviets sent a series of spacecraft called Venera, which parachuted down through the thick atmosphere and returned images from the surface of Venus. Although the first few missions were failures, this taught the Soviets just how hellish the Venusian environment really is. Surface of Venus by Venera. Venera 13 made it down to the surface in nineteen-eighty-one and survived for one-hundred-and-twenty-seven minutes, sending back the first color pictures of Venus’ surface.

The hottest planet in our solar system is Venus, When it comes to temperature, distance from the Sun matters, but it takes a backseat to wrapping a planet in a atmospheric blanket of carbon dioxide. Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet Planet Venus Facts: A Hot, Hellish & Volcanic Planet By Charles Q. Choi, Space.com Contributor | November 4, 2014 09:01pm ET MORE Credit: NASA Venus, the second planet from the sun, is named for the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The planet — the only planet named after a female — may have been named for the most beautiful deity of her pantheon because it shone the brightest of the five planets known to ancient astronomers. In ancient times, Venus was often thought to be two different stars, the evening star and the morning star — that is, the ones that first appeared at sunset and sunrise. In Latin, they were respectively known as Vesper and Lucifer. In Christian times, Lucifer, or "light-bringer," became known as the name of Satan before his fall. Physical characteristics Venus and Earth are often called twins because they are similar in size , mass, density, composition and gravity.

However, the similarities end there. [ Photos: Venus, the Mysterious Planet Next Door ] Venus is the hottest world in the solar system. Although Venus is not the planet closest to the sun, its dense atmosphere traps heat in a runaway version of the greenhouse effect that warms Earth. As a result, temperatures on Venus reach 870 degrees Fahrenheit (465 degrees Celsius), more than hot enough to melt lead. Probes that scientists have landed there have survived only a few hours before being destroyed . Venus has a hellish atmosphere as well, consisting mainly of carbon dioxide with clouds of sulfuric acid, and scientists have only detected trace amounts of water in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is heavier than that of any other planet, leading to a surface pressure 90 times that of Earth. The surface of Venus is extremely dry. During its evolution, ultraviolet rays from the sun evaporated water quickly, keeping it in a prolonged molten state . There is no liquid water on its surface today because the scorching heat created by its ozone-filled atmosphere would cause any to boil away.

Roughly two-thirds of the Venusian surface is covered by flat, smooth plains that are marred by thousands of volcanoes, some which are still active today , ranging from about 0.5 to 150 miles (0.8 to 240 kilometers) wide, with lava flows carving long, winding canals up to more than 3,000 miles (5,000 km) in length, longer than on any other planet. Six mountainous regions make up about one-third of the Venusian surface. One mountain range, called Maxwell, is about 540 miles (870 km) long and reaches up to some 7 miles (11.3 km) high, making it the highest feature on the planet. Venus also possesses a number of surface features unlike anything on Earth. For example, Venus has coronae, or crowns — ringlike structures that range from roughly 95 to 360 miles (155 to 580 km) wide. Scientists believe these formed when hot material beneath the crust rises up, warping the planet’s surface.

Venus also has tesserae, or tiles — raised areas in which many ridges and valleys have formed in different directions. With conditions on Venus that could be described as infernal, the ancient name for Venus — Lucifer — seems to fit. However, this name did not carry any fiendish connotations; Lucifer means "light-bringer," and when seen from Earth, Venus is brighter than any other planet or even any star in the night sky because of its highly reflective clouds and its closeness to our planet. Venus takes 243 Earth days to rotate on its axis, by far the slowest of any of the major planets, and because of this sluggish spin, its metal core cannot generate a magnetic field similar to Earth's. Orbital characteristics If viewed from above, Venus rotates on its axis the opposite way that most planets rotate. That means on Venus, the sun would appear to rise in the west and set in the east. On Earth, the sun appears to rise in the east and set in the west. The Venusian year — the time it takes to orbit the sun — is about 225 Earth days long. Normally, that would mean that days on Venus would be longer than years.

However, because of Venus' curious retrograde rotation, the time from one sunrise to the next is only about 117 Earth days long. [Gallery: Transit of Venus from June 5, 2012, when the planet transited in front of the sun for the last time until the year 2117. Venus' southern hemisphere, as seen in the ultraviolet. Credit: ESA The eight planets of the Solar System The eight planets of the Solar System Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun but surprisingly, not the hottest. It doesn't have an atmosphere so any heat the planet gets from the Sun quickly escapes back into space. Temperatures can still get as high as 427°C which is 61 times hotter than the average temperature on Earth! But because there is nothing to hold in the heat, Mercury can also reach temperatures as low as -173°C, almost twice as cold as the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth. No atmosphere also means the planet doesn't have a sky! If you could visit Mercury, you would be able to see stars at daytime and the Sun would look twice as big. Because Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, it has a very quick orbit.

This means it only takes 88 Earth days to go round the Sun which gives Mercury an 88-day year. But it rotates quite slowly and means that a day on Mercury lasts for 59 Earth days. The first probe to reach Mercury was in 1974 and it mapped out the surface to find it was really similar to our moon with lots of craters. Venus Venus is the brightest object in our solar system after the Sun and our Moon which means on a clear night you might be able to see it without using a telescope. Because of this, people have known about its existence since prehistoric times and the first probe to visit it was in 1961. Venus is sometimes called the 'Twin Planet' because it is similar to Earth. It's only slightly smaller than Earth and has an atmosphere complete with clouds. These clouds are a bit more deadly than ours because they are made of sulphuric acid which is poisonous to us. Acid clouds, mixed with an atmosphere of carbon dioxide, make Venus the hottest planet in the solar system reaching 482°C – that's almost 7 times higher than the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth!

Venus also has the slowest rotation in the solar system meaning 1 day on Venus is the same as 243 days on Earth. But for Venus to orbit the Sun takes just 224 Earth days, which means that a year on Venus is shorter than a day! Mars Mars is also known as the 'Red Planet' because it has lots of iron oxide on its surface giving it that rusty red colour. It is the second-smallest planet in the system and fourth in line from the Sun meaning it can get pretty cold there. Same as the Earth, it has a North and a South pole which are covered in ice, and reaching temperatures as low as -140°C. 20°C is the highest temperature on Mars, similar to a sunny day back here on Earth. A day on Mars is slightly longer than here at 25 hours, but a Mars year is almost twice as long as an Earth year, taking 687 days to orbit the Sun. Mars also has the highest mountain in the solar system, called Olympus Mons, which measures around 15 miles high. That's three times taller than Mount Everest! Earth Earth is our home planet and the only one known to support life.

It is the fifth- largest planet and is orbited by one moon. Our planet is the only one in the solar system to have water in its liquid form, which allows it to support life. 71% of Earth's surface is covered in water and the oceans help to keep the temperature cool enough for life to survive. It takes 24 hours for the Earth to rotate once – a day – and it takes 365 days for the Earth to orbit the Sun – a year. The surface of our planet is very young because it is always changing. The surface is made up of different sections called tectonic plates which move over time, re-shaping the Earth's surface. Even though the Earth is over 4 billion years old, it is expected to support life for another 500 million years. Jupiter Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and is 318 times bigger than the Earth! It's also the fastest rotating planet too, with 1 day only lasting 10 hours – but a year on Jupiter lasts for 12 Earth years. Jupiter doesn't have a solid surface and is made up of gas, giving it the name 'gas giant'.

It has winds that can travel up to 400mph that swirl around the planet giving it bands and stripes. These coloured bands are called zones and belts. Each one has a slightly different temperature and holds different chemicals to make them different colours. Its most famous feature is its 'Red Spot', which is a storm that's so big it is visible from Earth. It's been raging for 300 years! Jupiter is the planet that has the most moons in the solar system. It has 4 main moons that were discovered by a famous astronomer called Galileo Galilei in 1610, but there are now thought to be up to 64 moons orbiting Jupiter. Its biggest moon is called Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system – which is bigger than Mercury! Saturn Saturn is the second biggest planet in our solar system. Similar to Jupiter it has over 60 moons and is made up of different gases. Even though it is a gas giant, it is also the lightest planet. Saturn is so light that it would float in water, if there was an ocean big enough. Its most interesting feature is the series of rings that surround the planet.

The rings aren't solid, but are made up of lots of little pieces of rock and ice particles that orbit Saturn at the same speed. A day on Saturn is very short at only 11 Earth hours, but because it is so far from the Sun, 1 year is equal to almost 30 years on Earth! Saturn is also very cold because of its distance from the Sun, 25 times colder than the average temperature on Earth at -175°C. Uranus Uranus is the third biggest planet in the solar system and the only planet that rotates on its side. Scientists think it may have been knocked over onto its side by another planet long ago. This means that some parts of Uranus can't be reached by the Sun for long periods of time. Some nights can last as long as 40 Earth years there! Uranus was the first planet to be discovered by a telescope by Sir William Hershel in 1781. Even though you could see it without a telescope, it hadn't been noticed before that time because it is quite dim and has a slow orbit.

The core of the planet is made up of ice and rock making it the coldest planet in the solar system with temperatures of -224°C, 32 times colder than the average on Earth! It also has a complex layer of clouds made of water and other chemicals. Scientists have even discovered that Uranus has its own weather activity and seasons. It has 27 moons and like Saturn, it also has a system of 11 rings orbiting it. They are very dim and difficult to see, but the brightest ring orbiting Uranus is called the Epsilon ring. Neptune Neptune is the planet furthest away from the Sun and is made up of the same kinds of gases found on Uranus. Methane is the gas that makes up most of the atmosphere on Neptune and gives it that dark blue colour. Because it was so far away with such a slow orbit, when Galileo observed Neptune in 1613, he thought it was a star. It was finally discovered by two different mathematicians in 1846. Neptune is the windiest planet with winds that can reach up to 1,240mph, which is three times faster than anything recorded on Earth.

It is 17 times bigger than Earth and takes 165 years to orbit the Sun. This means only one year on Neptune has passed since it was discovered in 1846 – happy birthday Neptune! It has 11 moons with a 16-hour day but even though it is the planet furthest away from the Sun, it is not the coldest, with temperatures of -218°C. The Sun is at the centre of the Solar System, and its gravity holds all the planets in place. The Sun is the biggest object in the Solar System and makes up 99% of its mass. Its diameter is around 109 times bigger than Earth, but you could fit over A MILLION Earths inside the Sun. Astronomers think that the Sun (and the planets) formed from the solar nebula about 4.59 billion years ago, so it's pretty old! Its temperature is 5,500 degrees Celsius on the surface and a whopping 15.6 million degrees Celsius at the core. The temperature of the Sun isn't the same all over; in some places 'sun spots' occur where it isn't as hot than elsewhere.

It's made almost entirely of hydrogen, with a bit of helium and a few heavier gases including oxygen – and there's even some iron in there too. Light from the Sun reaches the Earth in just 8 minutes! Remember – don't ever look directly at the sun – you could seriously damage your eyes. | The Solar System The Solar System Our Solar System is an amazing place. Not only is it home to eight planets, it also hold several dwarf planets, hundreds of moons, and thousands of stars and asteroids. The eight planets in our Solar System are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These planets orbit the Sun. Here is a funny song to help you remember the planets The Sun The Sun is the center of our Solar System. It is because of the Sun that our solar system gets its name. Sol is the Roman name for Sun. The Sun is the largest object within the Solar System - it makes up more than 95% of all the matter! It is because of the Sun's large size that the rest of the objects within the Solar System orbit around it. The Sun is very, very hot. It is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its surface.

Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, making it the first planet in the Solar System. It is named after the Roman messenger god. In mythology, the god was known for being quick - Mercury is the fastest of all the planets to orbit the Sun, because it has the smallest route it has to take! Mercury can occasionally be seen from Earth Mercury is the second densest planet in the Solar System It is mainly made up of iron There is no atmosphere on Mercury Despite its fast trip around the Sun, Mercury's revolution is very slow - one day on Mercury equals about 59 days on Earth! Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is named after the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Venus is almost the same size as Earth, but other than size the two planets are very different! Fun Facts about Venus Venus appears to be the brightest planet in the sky due to the reflection of the Sun from its clouds, and its closeness to Earth Venus has an incredibly thick atmosphere. This makes it the hottest of the inner planets Venus rotates East to West Venus is covered in volcanoes Venus does not have any moons Earth Earth is the only known planet that has any life forms in the Solar System.

It is the third planet from the Sun. It is the only planet that is not named after a god. Most of the Earth is covered in water - 70%! Earth has a thin atmosphere, that protects us from dangerous gasses and heat in space Earth is the largest of the inner planets Air, water, and land make up the Earth Earth's axis is tilted at 23.5 degrees This a video showing the many different life forms that Earth has Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. Named for the Roman god of war, it is also known as the "Red Planet". It is the last of the inner planets. Temperatures on Mars are very similar to temperatures on Earth It is believed that Mars once had water on its surface Mars is called the red planet because its surface is covered in red dust The largest volcano in the Solar System is on Mars. It is called Olympus Mons Mars has two small moons Jupiter Jupiter is the first of the outer planets, and the fifth planet from the Sun. It is named for the king of the Roman gods. It is the largest of all of the planets.

Fun Facts about Jupiter Jupiter is best known for its "Great Red Spot" - a mass of hurricanes that have been storming for hundreds of years. The spot is larger in size than that of Earth Jupiter is made up of gasses - there is no solid surface on it Jupiter is so big; Earth could fit inside of it more than 1,000 times! Jupiter has over 50 moons. Four of these moons are as big as planets Jupiter has the most active volcanic activity in the Solar System Learn more about the Great Red Spot! Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is named for the Roman god of agriculture. It is most well known for its highly visible rings. Other Features of the Solar System There are many other exciting elements in the Solar System. Here are a few. Asteroids Asteroids are rocky bodies in the Solar System that are too small to be considered actual planets. In between Mars and Jupiter lies the Asteroid Belt, containing well over 90,000 asteroids. Comets Comets are ice and rock that grow tails the closer they get to the sun. The hotter they get, the longer this "tail" becomes.

The sunlight makes comets glow, which causes them to be visible on Earth. Dwarf Planets Dwarf planets are bodies that orbit the sun that are not considered large enough to be actual planets. The most famous dwarf planet is Pluto, which was considered an actual planet up until 2006. Satellites Satellites are machines put into the Solar System by scientists in order to find out more about the Solar System, and what is in it. These machines take pictures, perform experiments, take data, and much, much more. Without them, we wouldn't have the vast amount of information that we have today. Summary The Solar System is a fascinating place. Each of the eight planets have their own unique features, but are also similar in some ways - much like people! It is amazing to think that the Solar System has been around for more than 4.6 billions years. Each of the eight planets orbits the sun in the same direction, and in their own time. We have so much more we can learn about the Solar System, and so much we have learned already today. sit this page to learn more interesting facts about the Solar System! Want to get an idea of how far apart the planets are? Click here! Resources Our Solar System.

Retrieved from Solar System. Retrieved from What Is the Hottest Planet? | Wonderopolis Wonder of the Day #1077 What Is the Hottest Planet? What is the hottest planet? Which planet is often called Earth's sister? What feature of Venus makes it so hot? Tags: Listen Think back to the middle of August when you just finished mowing the lawn. The sun was beating down and it felt like it must have been at least 110º F outside. You thought it was probably hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk . Although it might have felt like you were standing on the surface of the Sun, Earth — even on its hottest days — is far more tolerable than the hottest planets in the solar system . So which planet is the hottest? The farther you get away from the Sun, the cooler you get. So let's take a look at those planets that sit between Earth and the Sun : Mercury and Venus. Since Mercury sits closest to the Sun, Mercury must be the hottest planet . Right? That only makes sense, doesn't it? After all, Mercury receives more sunlight per square foot than any other planet in the solar system . Wrong!

Venus is actually the hottest planet in the solar system . On a hot day on Mercury, the temperature can rise to over 700º F. Wow! That's hot ! You'd definitely need plenty of sunscreen on Mercury. A hot day on Venus, however, is even hotter. How much hotter? The hottest temperatures on Venus exceed 900º F. Yikes! Now that's a scorcher for sure. Most friends are probably WONDERing WHY Venus is hotter than Mercury even though it's farther away from the Sun. The answer lies in the atmosphere . No, it's not up there in the sky. The answer IS the atmosphere ! Because Mercury is smaller, sits so close to the Sun, and moves so quickly around the Sun, it doesn't have an atmosphere . When the Sun's rays hit Mercury, they just bounce off into space . There's nothing to reflect them back toward the planet and retain their heat. Venus, on the other hand, has a very thick atmosphere . Its atmosphere is actually over 90 times denser than Earth's atmosphere .

Made up mostly of carbon dioxide , a greenhouse gas , Venus' atmosphere acts like a one-way door: it lets in solar radiation , but it doesn't let it back out. This creates oven-like conditions on the surface of Venus. Because of this intense heat, no water can be found on Venus. Moreover, carbon dioxide is a noxious gas that creates raging winds that blow constantly across the surface of Venus, making it one of the harshest environments you're likely to find in the entire solar system . Although Earth and Venus are sometimes called “sister" planets because of their similar sizes, they couldn't be more different in so many other ways. Before scientists could “see" Venus with the help of unmanned probes and space telescopes, many of them thought Venus was a lush, tropical paradise. The truth is that it's a barren rock that looks like Earth's Moon . Its clouds appear yellowish because of the presence of sulfur dioxide alongside the huge amounts of carbon dioxide . What scientists now know about Venus has come from several unmanned probes sent to Venus over the years. The first craft to land on Venus in 1970 was a Soviet probe called Venera 7.

Unfortunately, Soviet astronomers only received data from the probe for about 23 minutes before the planet 's heat destroyed the probe 's electronics! Wonder Words (21) Join us in Wonderopolis tomorrow for an up-close look at a unique geographic feature! Try It Out Whew! Today's scorching Wonder of the Day has us sweating. Don't cool off now, though. Keep the learning going by exploring one or more of the following activities with a friend or family member: What do you think? Does Venus look like Earth's sister? Is it a place you would want to visit? Why or why not? Share these pictures with a friend or family member. What do they think? Would they like to visit Venus? Have you ever seen what Venus looks like? Jump online and check out the following photo galleries to see what the solar system's hottest planet looks like: The New Solar System: What We Know about It By Carolyn Collins Petersen Updated July 13, 2016. Remember back in grade school when you learned the planets of our solar system?

The hint many people used was "My Very Excellent Mom Just Served us Nine Pizzas", for Mercury , Venus , Earth , Mars , Jupiter , Saturn , Uranus , Neptune , and Pluto . Today, we say "My Very Excellent Mom Just Served Us Nachos" because some astronomers argue that Pluto isn't a planet. (That's an ongoing debate, even though the exploration of Pluto shows us that it's really a fascinating world!) Finding New Worlds to Explore The scramble to find a new planet mnemonic is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning and understanding what makes up our solar system. In the old days, prior to spacecraft exploration and high-resolution cameras on both space-based observatories (such as Hubble Space Telescope ) and ground-based telescopes, the solar system was considered to be the Sun, planets, moons, comets , asteroids , and a set of rings around Saturn. Today, we live in a new solar system we can explore through gorgeous images. continue reading below our video Test Your General Science Knowledge "New" refers to the new types of objects we know about after more than half a century of exploration, as well as to new ways of thinking about existing objects. Take Pluto.

In 2006, it was ruled a "dwarf planet" because it didn't fit the definition of a plane: a world that orbits the Sun, is rounded by self-gravity, and has swept its orbit free of major debris. Pluto has not done that final thing, although it does have its own orbit around the Sun and it is rounded by self-gravity. It is now called a dwarf planet, a special category of planet and was the first such world to be visited by the New Horizons mission in 2015 . So, in a sense, it IS a planet. Exploration Continues The solar system today has other surprises for us, on worlds we thought we already knew pretty well. Take Mercury, for example. It is the smallest planet, orbits close to the Sun, and has very little in the way of atmosphere. The MESSENGER spacecraft sent back amazing images of the planet's surface, showing evidence of extensive volcanic activity, and possibly the existence of ice in the shaded polar regions, where sunlight doesn't ever reach this planet's very dark surface. Venus has always been known as a hellish place because of its heavy carbon dioxide atmosphere, extreme pressures, and high temperatures.

The Magellan mission was the first to show us the extensive volcanic activity that still goes on there today, spewing lava across the surface and charging the atmosphere with sulfuric gas that rains back down on the surface as acid rain. Earth is a place you'd think we know pretty well, since we live on it. However, continual spacecraft studies of our planet reveals constant changes in our atmosphere, climate, seas, landforms, and vegetation. Without these space-based eyes in the sky, our knowledge of our home would be as limited as it was prior to the beginning of the Space Age. We have explored Mars nearly continually with spacecraft since the 1960s. Today, there are working rovers on its surface and orbiters circling the planet, with more on the way. The study of Mars is a search for the existence of water, past and present. Today we know that Mars has water, and it had it in the past. How much water there is, and where it is, remain as puzzles to be solved by our spacecraft and upcoming generations of human explorers who will first set foot on the planet sometime in the next decade.The biggest question of all is: Did or does Mars have life?

That, too, will be answered in the coming decades. The Outer Solar System Continues to Fascinate Asteroids are becoming more and more important in our understanding of how the solar system formed. This is because the rocky planets (at least) formed in collisions of planetesimals back in the early solar system. Asteroids are the remnants of that time. The study of their chemical compositions and orbits (among other things) tell planetary scientists a great deal about conditions during those long-ago periods of solar system history. Today, we know of many different "families" of asteroids. They orbit the Sun at many different distances. Specific groups of them orbit so close to Earth that they pose a threat to our planet. These are "potentially hazardous asteroids", and are the focus of intense observation campaigns to give us early warning of any that come too close. The asteroids surprise us in other ways: some have moons of their own, and at least one asteroid, named Chariklo, has rings.

The outer solar system planets are worlds of gas and ices, and they have been a continual source of news since the Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 missions flew past them in the 1970s and 1980s. Jupiter was discovered to have a ring, its largest moons each have different personalities, with volcanism, subsurface oceans, and the possibility of life-friendly environments on at least two of them. Jupiter is currently being explored by the Juno spacecraft , which will give a long-term look at this gas giant. Saturn has always been known for its rings, which puts it at the top of any sky gazing list . Now, we know of special features in its atmosphere, subsurface oceans on some of its moons, and a fascinating moon called Titan with a mix of carbon-based compounds on its surface. ; Uranus and Neptune are the so-called "ice giant" worlds because of the ice particles made of water and other compounds in their upper atmospheres. These worlds each have rings, as well as unusual moons. The Kuiper Belt The outer solar system, where Pluto resides, is the new frontier for exploration.

Astronomers have been finding other worlds out there, in regions such as the Kuiper Belt and the Inner Oort Cloud . Many of those worlds, such as Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Sedna, have been deemed dwarf planets as well. In 2016, another new world was found "out there" beyond the orbit of Neptune, and there could be many more waiting to be discovered. Their existence will tell planetary scientists a lot about conditions in that part of the solar system, and give clues to how they formed some 4.5 billion years ago when the solar system was very young. The Last Unexplored Outpost The most distant region of the solar system is home to swarms of comets that orbit in icy darkness. They all come from the Oort Cloud, which is a shell of frozen comet nuclei that extends out about 25% of the way to the nearest star. Nearly all the comets which ultimately visit the inner solar system come from this region. As they sweep close to Earth, astronomers eagerly study their tail structures, and dust and ice particles for clues to how these objects formed in the early solar system.

As an added bonus, comets AND asteroids, leave behind trails of dust (called meteoroid streams) rich in primordial material that we can study. Earth regularly travels through these streams, and when it does, we are often rewarded with glittery meteor showers . The information here just scratches the surface of what we've learned about our place in space over the past few decades. There remains much to be discovered, and even though our solar system itself is more than 4.5 billion years old, it continues to evolve. So, in a very real sense, we really do live in a new solar system. Each time we explore and discover another unusual object, our place in space gets even more interesting than it is now. Stay tuned!

Question: Which planet is thought to be the hottest in the Solar System?
Answer: Venus